A statue of American Founding Father and U.S. President Thomas Jefferson by the French sculptor David d'Angers stands in the Capitol rotunda of the U.S. Congress.

It was commissioned in 1832 by Jewish naval officer and New York real estate investor Uriah Phillips Levy, who was interested in Thomas Jefferson (eventually purchasing his home of Monticello in 1836 with the goal of historic preservation).

[1] Uriah told a friend that he had the statue made in tribute of Jefferson's stance on religious liberty, which he credited for his ability to succeed in the United States government as a Jewish man.

[1] Levy visited the Paris studio of accomplished sculptor and École des Beaux Arts professor Pierre-Jean David d’Angers in 1832 and contracted the statue.

[1] In March 1834, Levy offered the bronze statue to the Congress, and it was accepted in a letter by Senator Asher Robbins of Rhode Island, who was Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library.

[4] Calling Jefferson "America's most noted slaveholder," on June 18, 2020, councilmembers Corey Johnson, Deborah Rose, Inez Barron, Adrienne Adams, Daneek Miller wrote a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio asking him to support the statue's removal.